Let's Be Thankful Swap Reveal

Happy Holidays friends! I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was beautiful! I'll be recapping what I did for the holidays later this week but, before I do I wanted to post about the Let's Be Thankful Swap that my blog friend, Meg and I hosted!

We came up with the idea a little over a month and a half ago and I really enjoyed partnering with her! Anyways, for the swap I got matched up with Kelcie who blogs over at Hammers and Hot Plates! It was a pleasure getting to know Kelcie and hearing about all of her favorite holiday traditions and learning the ins and the outs about remodeling their house. You should definitely visit her blog, if you haven't already done so!

Anyways, so what did Kelcie send me! Well she hit the nail on the head, because she got me seriously the cutest holiday must have gifts. She spoiled me to no end and I really couldn't be more blessed and grateful. I still have to drive back to school, so unfortunately I haven't been able to really enjoy the gifts yet but, so far I have just been marveling over the cute plates, the adorable A mug, warm gloves, and Christmas gadgets. Kelcie, also took the time to put my favorite bible verse on book paper. I can't wait to buy a cute frame and display my favorite verse on my wall at school. It was the perfect way to start of the holiday season and I am so happy I got to get to know Kelcie over these past few weeks.

Blogger Bliss: Just a Few Favorites

So, today I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Meg @ Borrowed Heaven for Blogger Bliss! A once a month link up about things that make us blissful and happy. So, Meg wrote about her favorite things for this month and I think I'll do the same!

Favorite Song: Fix My Eyes by for KING and COUNTRY Check out the lyrics, here!
Favorite Youtube Video: Hunger Games Mockingjay Trailer Alright, I know that isn't exactly a youtube video but, I seriously have been  watching this trailer every day! I'm so excited to watch the movie in November and I'm even more excited that Josh is going to go with me! On another note about movies I will  most definitely be seeing: Gone Girl, Love Rosie, and The Best of Me!
Favorite Pandora Station: Sweater Weather I don't listen and (or) use pandora very often but, during some RA Programs Sweater Weather has been my station of choice!
Favorite Sports Team: The Orioles! I'm so proud of the Orioles for playing so well this year! I'm not sure if you're a baseball fan but, they have been doing extremely well! We are currently 1st in the AL Eastern Division with a record of 94-63 and they are headed to the playoffs. It has been way too long since us Orioles fans got to watch our team succeed the way these guys are doing currently! Keep up the great work :)

Favorite Fall Moment: I love Fall! And now that Fall is pretty much here I am really excited to get wrapped up in my new navy blue scarf and snuggle on really cold and crisp days! The leaves are even starting to change here on my mountain home and I couldn't be more excited. I love Summer and the warmth the sun brings, but I wouldn't give up Fall for anything!

Anyways, thanks Meg for the great blog link up! It is always nice to remember what brings you happiness when you're in a middle of a long week. 

A Blissful Wednesday

Today I'm linking up with Meg and Heather's Blogger Bliss and wanted to share with you what brings me bliss. Well, for starters it is not the never  e n d i n g  rainstorm that has taken the North East by storm... but, rather bliss is sunshine and the warmth of the sun on my skin. 

Bliss is also sitting out by the pool, reading a good book, and drinking a piña colada... and although that one doesn't happen frequently-- or ever; that is where my mind is at on this dreary April morning.  

{bliss is}

finally finishing my Psychology Senior Proposal

cuddling with my boyfriend on a rainy day

laughing with Alex until my stomach hurts

sitting with a warm cup of coffee and reading blog posts

a good pair of yoga pants

connecting with my residents

knowing I'll be in Austria in 31 days

moving home in a week and a half

holding my new baby cousin, Jasper 

having an empty inbox

a delicious piece of chocolate

the perfect pair of shoes

reading for fun

#bloggerbliss

Stay Golden Link Up: 3/13/14

                                     

So, one of the blogs I recently discovered, Warrior Queen is co-hosting a weekly link up all about p o s i t i v i t y! And you better believe that I'm gonna be joining in on the fun! What a perfect opportunity to blog about positive things! So, before I start the post go check out Raewyn's blog and join in on this awesome link up!

So, where to start… positivity is one of my things… which, in more understandable terms basically means I love it. I love acknowledging positivity and living a positive lifestyle. I love that I'm a psychology major and I can focus on happy things sometimes. I love sharing with others the happiness that I feel and that the majority of the time they give me.

One of my favorite psychologists, Martin Seligman, who is also the father of positive psychology has been studying for years what makes people happy. Anyways, besides loving his work and being a total positive psychology nerd; I also love any articles written about living a positive lifestyle. One of my all time favorites, is a Huffington Post article called The Habits of Supremely Happy People. This article even sites Seligman which, means it is definitely a must read. Anyways, the article goes on to list a ton of different habits of happy people. And surprisingly research shows that "the pursuit of pleasure" is not what brings about happiness.

But, what does bring about happiness? Well, with the help of this inspiring article I am writing about things that bring me happiness and continue to help me live a positive lifestyle:

Appreciating simple pleasures: this is simple, hahaha… but, seriously taking the time to just recognize the warmth of the sun or the wind blowing through your hair is so important. Acknowledging the little things like the perfect glass of water or a good hair day… however simple, happy people are more likely to appreciate it.

Try to be happy: yeah, sure this one can be a bit obvious. But, trying to smile on a rainy day is actually ten times better than complaining and getting caught in the rain. So, the little act of trying to be happier often will boost your mood.

Stick with the deeper conversations: lately, I've been noticing the truth in this so much lately. Now, its great to check in with people and see how their day has been going… but, it is even better to get to know them on a personal level.

Look on the bright side: Being optimistic can do wonders for your life. By finding the rainbow in every rain storm has a ton of health benefits--- like "decreasing stress and tolerance for pain" but, seriously it is so much more fun to live a glass half full than a glass half empty type of lifestyle!

Get spiritual: Whatever you choose, it has been studied that being a religious or spiritual person actually makes you happier. For me, I love being Christian. I love jamming to Christian music and sharing my faith with others. I truly believe that Jesus is the best thing in my life and I want him to be present in every relationship I have.

Have you exercised today: Well, that's a serious question because even choosing to take the stairs over the elevator will make you more positive. So, get up and have a dance party with your roommate or go for a walk with your significant other, because at the end of the day it will help.

Laughter is the Best Medicine: Laughing until my stomach hurts, smiling till my cheeks ache, until tears come to my eyes. Laughter releases happy neurotransmitters to the brain and those happy neurotransmitters can drastically improve your daily life and positivity is sure to follow.

If you haven't already, please go check out the article I sited above! They have an even better list full of research to back up what they are talking about. Happy Thursday, lovelies!

Bliss Link Up 2/26/14

Today, I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Meg at Borrowed Heaven! Yeah, I know I link up with this chic a lot but, thats because she is totally awesome. Anyways, the last Wednesday of each month I will be joining this lovely lady and her friend Heather for a link up on what brings bliss to one's life.

Bliss is such a wonderful thing and recognizing what brings one happiness in life is so so important. Just the act of writing out what I'm thankful for and what has brought joy to my life is such a wonderful exercise.

So, in honor of the fact that I only have 95 days until I leave for Austria… " these are a few of my favorite things…"

getting lost in stories… I've been reading a lot and I honestly love getting lost in different stories. I get personally attached to the characters and the authors (cough cough, Elin Hilderbrand) I've been reading know a way to make my heart melt. Okay, so maybe I'm reading a lot of cheesy love stories, big whoop!

meeting new people… Recently, I have felt really blessed to have gotten to meet some pretty incredible people. New friendships are budding all around, like the impending Spring that I'm hoping will be here sooner rather than later and it's so nice… I just love people I guess.

being home… I'm currently writing this post from my living room sofa and boy is it nice. I calculated out that I'll only be home for 8 weeks in 2014, which is kind of depressing… so I'm gonna soak up this couch time and enjoy being home when I get the opportunity.

quotes… I keep a quote journal and lately I've been adding to it a lot. Other people's words inspire me so much and maybe one day I'll be written in someone else's quote journal. One of my personal favorites is:

In the end, only three things matter: 

how much you loved,

how gently you lived, 

and how gracefully you let go of things

not meant for you. 

pancakes… I don't know why but, lately I can't get enough of pancakes. Like seriously, I want to get a lifetime membership to IHOP or something.

Sweetheart Swap

Last month I discovered this awesome Valentine's Day themed swap opportunity thanks to Meg @ Borrowed Heaven. I actually connected with Meg during my first blog swap, The Snow Flake Swap back in December and I'm so thankful to have gotten to know such an amazing person.  

My swapper this month was Lauren! It has been so great getting to know her over the past few weeks and I can't believe Valentine's Day is already upon us. Now, I personally don't have a preference for the holiday. I'm definitely one of those people who thinks you should appreciate people you love every day, but I also think that there is nothing wrong with having a day where you go above and beyond with lovey dove stuff. So, sure its a "Hallmark holiday" but, its also about expressing love to others… so I'm not gonna complain! 

Let's see what is inside this Valentine's day package...

Lauren sent me: 

some classic milk chocolate

weekly organizer

sweet tea and a mason jar

Vera Bradley photo album

*It was so funny that she sent me a mason jar with some sweet tea packets because I told her about my summer trip to Texas and how much I loved it-- Lauren, definitely hit the nail on the head when it comes to shopping for me*

Lauren and I both share the love to organize! So, I was over the moon when I saw the cutest little week planner
that came with sticky notes and pretty much everything that you need to stay organize in college! 

I absolutely love the photo book! It adds so much vibrant color and is a great place for me hold photos from college. 

A sneak peak of what I included in Lauren's package! 

Lauren, thank you so much for the Valentine's day package! It was the perfect Valentine and it was so great getting to know you through the Sweetheart Swap. Lauren currently doesn't have a blog, but maybe one day she'll join the blogosphere. But, for now we'll just have to keep track of each other through email. 

Thanks, Meg for a great link up opportunity! Happy Valentine's Day, friends :)

Radiating Sunshine

photo credit: Kelly Callahan @ Deep Creek Lake, MD

Today, I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Mackenzie @ Bell Bliss and we're talking about what our blog names mean to us. And just like almost every other blogger out there, Radiating Sunshine definitely has meaning.

radiating: verb, emit (energy, esp. light) in the form of rays or waves
sunshine: noun, direct sunlight unbroken by cloud, esp. over a comparatively large area

Now, the literal definition of my blog is great. But, Radiating Sunshine takes on a more symbolic meaning to me. Since I can remember I've always been conscious of living a positive lifestyle. When I was a little girl I always thought that smiling was ten times better than frowning and my parents raised me to find joy in the little things. And as fate would have it, during my senior year of High School I took AP Psychology and we did a unit on happiness (Positive Psychology). I found out that there were scientific studies done on happiness and how living a happy lifestyle can drastically improve your quality of life. A simple smile can really change how you feel and how others feel around you. So, four year later I am still choosing that happy lifestyle and now my goal is to spread happiness around.

Its hard to live in a world where you are constantly surrounded by so much sin and sadness. When you live in a society that broadcasts hate over love, its easy to get scooped up in negativity. Even though, I don't fully understand why bad things happen to good people or why children die before they've ever been given the chance to live. I know deep down inside that to choose to be a negative person is far greater a loss, than choosing to live positively. Many people don't know that happiness rests in their hands. People struggle with understanding that you choose {happiness} and its not just a gift that every person has.

So, I wake up every day and I try to radiating sunshine… because choosing to be unhappy is just not an option.

"if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your

face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely" 

- Roald Dahl 

Snowflake Swap

I've been blogging for a year and a half, but I didn't seriously start blogging until this summer when I left Maryland to live in Texas and work at a summer camp for students who are gifted and talented! Once there I started blogging a few times a week to give my family and friends updates in my life. So, now that Radiating Sunshine has grown up a bit I decided to branch out and in that process I've met so many amazing bloggers! I came across the Snowflake Swap back in November and immediately signed up. The Snowflake Swap is an opportunity for bloggers to get paired up, spread holiday cheer, and network with other bloggers. 

So, without further adieu I would like to give a shout out to my snowflake swap partner, Meg @ Borrowed Heaven! About a month ago, Meg and I began chatting over email. We have emailed each other almost every day and if we aren't doing that then we are commenting on each other's blogs and (or) sending crazy snap chats! It has been such a pleasure to get to know her and discover so many things like the North East Blogger Network  and Influenster! I would seriously go check out this lady's blog because she has so much going on and she writes the cutest stuff… plus she is engaged so if you love reading about cute stories and wedding plans than hop on over to her page!

Now, for the reveal of the Snowflake Swap package. Besides getting to meet another blogger you also get to give and receive a gift! Here is what Meg sent me: 

Can we just comment on how adorable this Disney Princess wrapping paper is… I'm a kid at heart!

the gifts: 

gift tag making kit

warm vanilla sugar foam hand soap

paper lantern

pens- *in my favorite colors I may note: navy, pink, raspberry*

room spray for my room at school

ornament

candy

Love the ornament and its preppy-ness! But, seriously it went right on the tree for everyone to see!

And the gift tag making kit has come in handy for this Christmas! I've used it on all of my gifts and it seriously is the cutest thing! Definitely appeals to my crafty side :)  

Thanks, Meg for picking out all of these gifts so well and for making them personal. When I signed up for the Snowflake Swap I never would have imagined getting to "meet" such an amazing person. Good luck on all of your wedding plans and you can expect the terrifying selfie snap chats to continue!

Oh… and if you're too lazy to scroll back up to the top check out Meg's blog, here!! :p

Product Love Tuesdays #1

Hey, blog friends! So, I've been thinking about some link up opportunities for Radiating Sunshine for sometime now and finally I thought about sharing my favorite products with y'all! I'm always searching of fabulous finds and products I should check out, so hopefully I can learn from you guys and I can share cool things with you! 

So, what is on this week's product love list? 

Product One- My Fitness Pal

I love this iPhone app so much! I'm on this health kick/get in shape stage of life and this little app has really helped me kick it into gear. With the app you can track what food your eating, weight loss/gain, where your nutrients are coming from etc! I'm down 11 pounds since I got home from Texas this summer and I'm definitely being more health conscious thanks to this app! 

Product Two- Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat

If your schedule is anything like mine than you know that fixing your chipped nails is not on your priority list… but, with the diamond shine coat I can paint my nails every two weeks and am guaranteed that they won't look all gross and chipped by the end of the week. Seriously, this clear coat is a blessing! 

Product Three- Cover Girl Clump Crusher Lash Blast Mascara

They really need to stress the lash blast mascara portion of this… because it is totally awesome for us ladies with tiny lashes! I started using this about a month ago and I know longer need to wear any eye liner or really anything else to give my eyes some definition. 

Product Four- Garnier Fructis Leave- In Conditioner

Ahhh time for the classic curly hair product plug! Anyways, I've been using leave-in conditioner for probably 2 years now and I'm hooked! If you have an issue with frizz and have relatively thick but dry hair then please give this product a shot! 

All of my opinions about the above products are my own. I was not compensated for this post. 

<div align="center"> <a href="http://areewithumbrella.blogspot.com" title="Grab a Friend"><img src="http://i34.tinypic.com/2yy8ahs.png" alt="Grab a Friend" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Welcome to the weekly blog hop , Grab A Friend

Link up here , answer a question , grab a blogger and be friends!

Every week this hop is created with lots of love + fun . So be sure to share it to more and more people ca catch up and our lovely little hop can be large with more friends ;)

Tweet

Want to co-host? Shoot me en Email or check Sponsor .
                           

               Blog  | Twitter  | GFC | BlogLovin                                Blog | Twitter | GFC | Bloglovin

Now the co-host

Ellie from Serendipitous Whimsically

Blog // Bloglovin // Twitter 

Alex from Radiating Sunshine

Blog // Bloglovin // Twitter

When you go to follow your hosts , leave the answer to make their day + a bloggy present .  We all would love to share love back { will follow you back} .

This hop is for finding new friends & bloggy mates . So be sure to go and find yourself one .
I am so happy cheery to see you all linking up with us every Tuesday . Yip-yip , you're rah-king.
Twitter is a new addition in hop , so if you want some Twitter-holic bloggy mates so link up , hop around & grab some tweeeeeeeeter sweeties .

Q : What's your biggest wish so far?

Noor :

My biggest wish is to have a house named Noor's Place . Yep not even kidding but I am dreaming it for years . I would love to have a big board over my house (sparkling) my name .

Areeba : 

Biggest wish? (insert a HMMMM) I am quite into wishes and so far , I want a good DSLR . I love photography , snap snap .

Alex :
My biggest wish? Mhm, that's a tough one! I guess I would have to say my biggest wish is to impact someone else's life in a big way. When I'm old I want to look back on my life and be able to see that I have given back to others and lived my life to the fullest.

Woot , now it's your turn to answer!

Why I blog? {Link Up}

Today, I am joining tons of bloggers that lead totally different lives, to discuss why we blog?

Well, for starters. . . I have always tried to keep a diary. I would buy a cute little blank book, have all these plans to write my daily thoughts and aspirations in it and then... five days later I stop.

So, my diary-under-the-pillow stage of life ended... and technology replaced it. When I went off to college, I wanted my extended family and friends to be updated on my life since I rarely saw them. I would write letters, send emails, update my Facebook statuses but it all seemed a little to impersonal and wasn't as organized as I would have liked. And then I thought, well. . . what if I made a blog, that can serve as my diary-under-the-pillow and can update my loved ones on the happenings in my life.

It has almost been a year since I began blogging. . . actually in 7 days it will be a full year! So, I blog about my life, my loves, my RA adventures. I love being able to continually update family and friends on whats going on in my life. And as an added bonus I get to connect with a bunch of different people.

One great thing about blogging is that I get an opportunity to read about people's lives from all over the world. I love reading about other bloggers' stories and I'm so glad I have joined this network of lovely people. I found this great opportunity to share why I blog through one of my favorite blogs, Perfectly Us! You should totally should check her blog out, because it screams cuteness!!

So, why do you blog? What is your inspiration?

Please, link up and {share why you blog}!
1) Whitspeaks
2) Samantha via It's all in the details
3) Clancy via Life. a little less ordinary